The fifth Open Enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) started on November 1st, and will continue for a scant 45 days ending on December 15, 2017. This year, not only has the Open Enrollment been cut in half,...more
We learn early on that for any action there is a reaction. On Friday, the Department of Health and Human Services released “Market Stabilization” final regulations that will impact group health plans as they plan for 2018....more
Last week, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a report analyzing CMS’ readiness to implement major parts of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of...more
This is the annual hodge-podge of changes to the risk adjustment, reinsurance, and risk corridors programs, cost sharing parameters, cost-sharing reductions, and Healthcare.gov user fees, usually filling hundreds of Federal...more
On September 18, 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a set of “Frequently Asked Questions Regarding the Federally-Facilitated Marketplace’s (FFM) 2016 Employer Notice Program.”...more
Here’s the coming dilemma: let IRS assess employer mandate taxes based on errant Healthcare.gov subsidy certifications or appeal those errors to prevent those assessments. “Where’s the dilemma?” you say. Here: once you...more
Why should you care? Subsidy certification of even one applicant claiming to be a full-time employee not offered affordable, qualifying 2015 coverage can cause the IRS to assess a non-deductible tax against the applicant’s...more
On August 11, 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) posted for public comment notice of a new required data collection for health insurers. Its purpose is to begin the implementation of section 1311 of...more
Congress Slowly Works on Budget Reconciliation; ACA Reform Proposals Still Up in the Air - The FY 2016 budget resolution, which was agreed to by Congress this past April, included broad reconciliation instructions...more
For October 1 fiscal year employers, it’s budget season. Calendar year employers aren’t far behind. Those doubting their employer mandate compliance need to accrue reserves for non-deductible assessments that the IRS may...more
On Wednesday, March 4, 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States will hear argument in King v. Burwell, a case involving premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Among its many provisions, the ACA includes...more
Good Tuesday – The East Coast prepares for Apocalypse (Sn)ow. In the meantime, here are three privacy-related tidbits for your day. Privacy Concerns Cause Scale Back of Release of HealthCare.gov Data - We...more
As of December 26, 2014, HHS reported that 6.5 million consumers have obtained health insurance coverage from HealthCare.gov, bringing the total number of enrollees in federal and state exchanges to over 7 million. Of the...more
On Nov. 7, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it will hear the case of King v. Burwell, one of multiple challenges to the validity of the premium tax credits provided under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to...more
On November 7, the Supreme Court announced it would hear its second significant legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). King v. Burwell, expected to be heard this spring and ruled on by the end of June, is a direct...more
The Obama Administration's handling of cyber and data security was recently brought into question due to two distinct security incidents. On the same day that a former Administration official received a subpoena related to...more
In This Issue: - HealthCare.gov Hacking Breach - Implementation of the Affordable Care Act - Other Federal Regulatory Initiatives - Other Congressional and State Initiatives - Other Health...more
Congress begins its summer recess this week, but last week legislators were busy holding hearings on management issues regarding HealthCare.gov, introducing legislation to increase payments to primary care doctors under...more
From the monumental failure of the initial government website for the federal health insurance marketplace (healthcare.gov) to the looming employer mandate, the Affordable Care Act has garnered its fair share of criticism....more
Late last week, President Obama announced that more than 8 million had people signed up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. According to the White House, 35 percent of those that obtained insurance are under...more
In a high-stake but relatively uneventful series of negotiations, the House and Senate passed a continuing resolution to fund the government through September, averting another government shutdown. Also over the past week,...more
The past year was one of the most eventful in recent memory for healthcare policy. As the Affordable Care Act ("ACA") continued its inexorable, albeit at times wobbly, march towards implementation, the headlines became more...more
The new year kicked off this week with all eyes watching not only Winter Storm Hercules, but also how the new Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage will work. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS),...more
As 2013 draws to a close, we are pleased to look back on the year that was and highlight some of the key developments in the ever-changing field of health law. While a great deal of attention was focused on the implementation...more
Bob Dylan's quote from 1964 -- "The Times They Are A-Changin" -- could equally apply to the healthcare industry in 2013. This was the year that the Affordable Care Act ("ACA") came into full public view with the start of the...more